(1) Field of the Art
The present invention relates to an improved connecting structure of traction device which may be applied to the tire of the driven or power wheels of an automotive vehicle.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
In an automotive vehicle, a traction device is mounted on the tire of the driven wheels to cope with the ice-surfaced road by snow fall especially in winter season. Said traction device comprises net-shaped chain ring, and is placed around the tread of the tire. In this situation, both ends of the chain are manually pulled to approach together so as to connect them by a hook-shaped tool. However, it needs relatively strong effort to pull the weighty chain.
In addition, when the chain is mounted on the tire the slack is unavoidably set up in the chain. In order to take out the slack from the chain, a loop-shaped spring is concentrically disposed to the outer side of the wheel, and the chain is connected to the spring by a plurality of strips so that the chain is always resiliently pulled toward the center of the wheel.
In consequence, discrete components such as said spring and strip are needed, and mounting the chain is particularly hard and laborious, especially in the uncomfortable condition, in which such work is usually done.
Additionally in the above construction, the spring is always subjected to a big tensile stress due to a centrifugal force when the vehicle is running. There is a hazard that the spring is forcibly stretched to undergo permanent deformation.
Accordingly it is an object of the invention to provide a connecting structure of a traction device which readily connects both ends of a ring chain or the like when the chain is installed on a vehicle wheel and which equally readily disconnects the chain when no longer needed.
It is another object of the invention to provide a connecting structure of traction device which is relatively simple in construction and is longevity in life.